Banned or Challenged Books

Use this research guide to find books about challenged or banned books, intellectual

freedom and censorship. The online version of this guide is under “Research Guides” on the

library’s home page.

What is the difference between a challenged book and a banned book?

“A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a

person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply

involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material

from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. The positive

message of Banned Books Week: Free People Read Freely is that due to the commitment of

librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are

unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection.”

Source: American Library Association http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm#wdcb

Books in the library on banned or challenged books:

To browse the collection, go to the following call number ranges in both the reference and

circulating collections: Z 657 – Z659

Recommended books:

Reference Collection – 1st floor:

Banned in the U.S.A. : a reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries

-- REF Z 658 .U5 F64 2002

Literature suppressed on religious grounds -- REF Z 658 .U5 B35 2006

Literature suppressed on political grounds -- REF Z 658 .U5 K37 2006

Literature suppressed on sexual grounds -- REF Z 658 .U5 S68 2006

Literature suppressed on social grounds -- REF Z 658 .U5 S69 2006

The encyclopedia of censorship -- REF Z 657 .G73 2005

Circulating Collection – 2nd Floor:

Banned books : 2004 resource book -- Z 658 .U5 D68 2004

100 banned books : censorship histories of world literature – Z 658.U5 K35 1999

Research Guide http://www.stchas.edu/library/

To search the online book catalog:

Go to: http://www.stchas.edu/library

Click on “Find a Book”

choose the type of search you want

(Keyword is the broadest and most commonly used)

• Type one of the recommended subject headings below into a Subject search.

• To locate a challenged or banned book, type the book’s title into a Title search.

• If you need to expand your search to libraries outside of SCC, search MOBIUS. Ask at the

reference desk if you need help.

• MOBIUS allows you to search for and request books from other Missouri

colleges and universities. To search MOBIUS, click on the MOBIUS link from

the library’s home page, or go to http://mobius.missouri.edu/search/.

Recommended Subject Headings:

Banned Books

Censorship

Censorship - History

Censorship - United States - History

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Speech – United States

Libraries - Censorship

Prohibited books

Prohibited books - Bibliography

Prohibited books - History

Prohibited books - United States

Finding Articles with SCC Library Indexes

The following databases are available from the library web site. These can be accessed off

campus by students, faculty, and staff of SCC with a valid student ID number. Search the

databases for articles from magazines, journals, and/or newspapers.

To access these databases from home:

http://www.stchas.edu/library

click on “Find an Article”

enter your last name and your seven-digit student ID number

(including the zero), followed by “sc,” for example, 0123456sc

Academic Search Elite/MasterFile (EBSCOhost) or

LexisNexis

Both of these databases provide access to full articles from nationwide and international

newspapers, magazines, news wires and journals. Use keywords from the subject headings

above to search these databases if you’re having trouble finding articles about a specific

book. You may not find many articles on the banning of a specific book, but there are

articles about book banning and censorship.

Opposing Viewpoints

The “Censorship” issue links to essays, articles and websites on banned or challenged

books.

Internet Sites of Interest

American Library Association’s Banned Book Week site:

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/

Office for Intellectual Freedom – American Civil Liberties Union

http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/index.html

Banned Books Online – Online Books Page (U. Penn)

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/banned-books.html

The Forbidden Library

http://title.forbiddenlibrary.com/

If you need help, please ask the reference librarians at the Reference Desk. You can also

call or e-mail us if you are working at home:

Reference Desk: 636-922-8620 - refdrop@stchas.edu

Yahoo! Messenger ID

:

sccreference

MSN Messenger ID :

sccreference@hotmail.com AOL IM Buddy Name

: sccreference

Fall and Spring Semester Hours

Mon. – Thurs: 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

Summer, intersession, and holiday hours vary.

Created by Erin Lanham, Reference Librarian ▪ St. Charles Community College Library ▪ 12/2006